Astoria Weekend Edition 09.06.06

The weather looks good for this weekend, so consider doing some things outside! Join the Greater Astoria Historical Society, Partnerships for Parks' Astoria, and Long Island City Waterfront Parks Catalyst Project for a bike tour of Astoria/LIC Waterfront Parks. Led by Richard Melnick of the Greater Astoria Historical Society, learn about the history of the waterfront and ride part of the proposed Queens East River Greenway.

When: Sunday, June 11, 5pm-8pm
Where: Start at Gantry Plaza State Park, 48th Avenue and the East River
Who: All are welcome. Riders under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
More info: Please RSVP to (718) 706-8044 or Emily dot Maxwell at parks dot nyc dot gov.
For updates on the day of the ride, please call (917) 902-9165. Also, please do wear a helmet and bring water.

Also on Sunday, free canoe rides are offered by Long Island City Community Boathouse in conjunction with Socrates Sculpture Park and Partnerships for Parks. Volunteers are also needed to help clean up the beach while waiting for their turn to paddle!

When: Ongoing Sundays, 1pm-5pm
Where: The beach at Socrates Sculpture Park at Hallets Cove. 31st Avenue at Vernon Blvd.
Who: All are welcome. Minors must be accompanied by a guardian.
Why: Learn to paddle a canoe, enjoy the East River, and help keep our waterfront clean and open to the public.
More info: Visit www.licboathouse.org

This weekend also brings us the start of World Cup soccer! It is expected that 1.5 billion people around the world will watch the World Cup games. Starting on Saturday, consider stopping by the Bohemian Beer Garden or the Irish Rover (my two favorite watering holes in town), for World Cup fun this weekend and throughout the Games. Time Out NY also has some suggestions as to where to watch the World Cup (scroll down to the bottom for locations in Queens). By the way, here's the TV schedule.

Also on Saturday, PS1 presents Iron Art, a competitive, real-time art making event inspired by the Japanese cooking show, Iron Chef. From the website: "Iron Artist is an event that invites the public to witness competitive improvised art making between contemporary artists, critique and commentary of the artwork by local art personalities, and celebrate the final works in the exhibition opening immediately following the competition." Free with museum admission.

Sunday night head over to Hell Gate Social for their weekly Sunday night movie. The movie (TBD) starts at 9pm. Earlier that evening, consider playing Trivia and the Pub Quiz at the Irish Rover. Teams of 2-4 people play against each other for cash prizes - every team puts in $10 and the winner takes all. Pub Quiz starts at 7pm.

More fun, here.